What is Victory Day? history of the holiday

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

War is never expected. The attack is always sudden. It is only after enough years have passed that, as a result of a rigorous analysis of previous events, historians will make a statement about how inevitable the terrible events were. Everyone knows what Victory Day is. Even those who did not study the details of previous events did not delve into history and were not interested in the origin of this holiday.

But nevertheless, on the ninth of May every year since 1945, many countries celebrate this bright holiday, honor veterans and hold a festive concert for Victory Day, ending with fireworks. An integral part of the annual holiday is also a military parade and the laying of flowers at memorials.

Victory Day. History of the holiday

The ninth of May is considered the Day of the legendary victory over the Nazi invaders, as well as the Day of Remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Great Patriotic War. In 1945 the army of the Soviet Unionlaunched an offensive on the territory of central Poland and from the east of Prussia. It was then that Victory Day was much closer. The history of the holiday began from that moment. It was the month of January.

German troops were expelled from the Ruhr Basin and the Rhine region, Soviet soldiers advanced to the Elbe River. On April 30, Hitler committed suicide. By that time, he had survived four assassination attempts. On May 2, Berlin capitulated. What is Victory Day? This is the same number when Germany surrendered to the mercy of the enemy. The act of unconditional surrender was signed on the eighth day of the fifth month of 1945, at night. Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union, as well as by the British, French and Americans. Even before the signing of the final Act of military surrender in Karlshorst, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, placing his signature on the decree, proclaimed the ninth day of the month of May as a holiday, Victory Day.

Some Little Known Facts

A lot of time has passed since the surrender of Germany. Like any historical event in human life, the Victory Day holiday has acquired a large number of stories and myths. In addition, many of these stories were created intentionally. For example, a staged photograph of the installation of the Red Flag over the Reichstag. Until now, many are tormented by questions. Why were tanks, smoke and fighter jets added to the photograph depicting a historical moment? Who did take away part of the Banner of Victory as a keepsake? And also why for twenty years the ninth of May was not celebrated incalendar as a public holiday?

Why are there two dates for the Great Victory?

We figured out what Victory Day is and where it came from. But why does Europe celebrate this holiday on a different day? Although Berlin fell under the onslaught of the Soviet troops on the second of May, the German soldiers still resisted for another whole week. The act of final military surrender was signed on the night of the ninth of May. And here the time difference played a role. At that moment, when the ninth number had already come in Russia, it was still the eighth in European countries. That is why the countries of Europe celebrate the eighth of May. This holiday is called the Day of Reconciliation. On this day, the victims of Nazism are honored. And if we turn to official facts, it becomes known that, according to them, the Soviet Union fought with Germany until January 25, 1955.

Raising the Red Banner over the Reichstag

On May 1, 1945, a red flag was raised over the Reichstag. It is he who is considered the Banner of Victory. There is information that several groups climbed onto the roof with flags, and it is not known which of them managed to be the first. But there is an official version. According to this version, Berest, Yegorov and Kantaria set the flag.

But it is known that in the photo depicting this moment, in fact, Kovalev, Ismailov and Gorichev were captured. The photo was taken already on the second of May, after the capture of Berlin, and later it was heavily edited. The negative depicted clouds of smoke, which were supposed to indicate an ongoing battle. Also one of the soldiersthere was a trophy watch, which then disappeared from the photograph. This was done so that no one could accuse the troops of the Soviet Union of looting.

Where did the piece of the banner go?

When the first Victory Day was celebrated, the parade in Moscow was held without a banner. This happened because those who took the Reichstag and hoisted their banner over it turned out to be completely not strong in drill training. But others still decided not to appoint. Therefore, it was decided not to take the flag to the parade. Somewhat later it turned out that someone cut off a strip from the Banner of Victory, which was at least three centimeters wide. Who took part of the flag as a souvenir is still unknown. One of the versions says that this is the work of a gunner who participated in the storming of the Reichstag.

First Victory celebration

The first Victory Day, the parade in honor of which was held on June 24, 1945, was somewhat late. It was scheduled for the end of May, but the garment factories, which were tasked with making ten thousand parade uniforms for the soldiers for the holiday, did not meet the deadlines.

All the soldiers selected for the parade had the same height and had to train ten hours a day. An aviation overflight was also planned but had to be canceled due to heavy rain. Took the Zhukov parade on a white horse. Stalin was supposed to be in his place, but on the eve of Joseph Vissarionovich fell off his horse and entrusted this matter to Marshal Zhukov.

Twenty year break

In modern life, congratulations on Victory Day in verse andsongs are heard annually from local stages in different cities and towns.

Salutes are now ringing in your honor.

Congratulations to you, veterans, on Victory Day!

How great that this holiday exists.

Thank you, our grandmothers and grandfathers!

You bore the heavy cross with dignity

And you certainly deserve glorious honors. !

T. Dementieva

This day is written about in newspapers and broadcast on radio and television. But it was not always so. In the forty-eighth year, people were told that they should forget about the past war and actively engage in the restoration of their country.

And only in 1965 this holiday was revived again thanks to Brezhnev. A second parade was held. The next major military parade was in 1985, and then in 1990. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, parades began to be held only from the ninety-fifth year, but since then they have been held annually.

Interesting facts

Despite the fact that Victory Day is May 9, 1945, the war officially ended only on January 25, 1955.

Patches with the St. George ribbon became one of the symbols of the Victory. This ribbon was approved in the eighteenth year and was a reward for the displayed valor.

In Europe, this holiday is celebrated on the eighth of May, and in America - on the second of September, the day when Japan won.

Starting fromone thousand nine hundred and forty-eight and until the sixty-fifth, the ninth of May was not considered a day off.

The last parade of veterans, which was held on foot, in the city of Moscow was held in the year 2000.

In 2008, heavy equipment took part in the Moscow Victory Parade for the first time.

In this article, it was a little clarified what Victory Day is and where it came from. It also sheds light on some interesting historical facts that were not widely publicized. This holiday is celebrated annually in many countries with warmth and sadness. And the memory of this day is still passed on from generation to generation, despite the large number of years that have passed.